Litter thrown from cars on Northumberland's roads has been branded a "disgrace" by a leading councillor, who said council workers regularly pick up a shocking amount of rubbish from key routes such as the Spine Road.
The comments come after a Green Party councillor called for more litter picks on the A68 in the Humshaugh ward. Councillor Antonia Azócar-Bragg, who represents the ward, warned that litter was "highly unlikely to pick itself".
Fast roads initiative ends
The council operated an additional litter picking service on the county's "fast roads" this year, but that initiative has now ended. Councillor Azócar-Bragg said her ward had not benefited from the additional activity.
Speaking at a council meeting on Wednesday, she said: "Please can you remember that the A68 in the Humshaugh ward is particularly bad. This is one of the main roads that was missed by the fast roads litter picking."
"The litter is highly unlikely to pick itself. The fast roads litter picking came to an end without all of the litter on our main road verges being picked."
She added: "The council is responsible for picking litter on most of our county's road verges. It is important for the health of the environment as well as the visual amenity of residents. Does the council intend to pick the litter from the roads that were missed over the remaining two years of the administration?"
Council response
The council is responsible for removing litter and detritus from all 'A' roads in Northumberland, and it aims to remove litter from verges and central reservations at least once a year.
Cabinet member for environment Councillor John Riddle said: "We live in a beautiful county and it saddens us all that people do actually discard litter irresponsibly. We do roads like the Spine Road routinely and it is amazing the tonnage we have to clear on that road."
"It's an absolute disgrace the way that people treat our beautiful county. If you have any specific areas where you think there's a need for additional resources, please let me and officers know and we will certainly look at it."
The fast roads initiative was a one-off introduced by the Conservative administration as an extra last year, in addition to the activity already undertaken. Councillor Riddle said: "We remain committed to tackling roadside litter. In addition to our litter picking activities, we have a public awareness campaign with information on buses, petrol pumps and road signs."
